Expeditionary Warfare School Distance Education Program

The Expeditionary Warfare School distance education program (EWSDEP) provides officers with career level professional military education and training in command and control, combined arms operations, warfighting skills, tactical decision-making, naval operations, and Marine air-ground task force (MAGTF) expeditionary operations. This enables the Marine to command or to serve as a primary staff officer in their MOS, integrate the capabilities resident within their element of the MAGTF, integrate their element within the MAGTF, and understand the functioning of the other elements of the MAGTF.

Courses

8661, Warfighting

This self-study course sets the foundation for EWSDEP. It consists of four sub-courses:
Foundations, Doctrine, Information Operations, and Planning.

8662, MAGTF Operations Ashore

This course explores the resources, doctrinal concepts, and warfighting capabilities associated with each element of the MAGTF, first as an element itself, then as part of synergistic, combined arms MAGTF. It consists of six sub-courses:
Command Element, Ground Combat Element, Aviation Combat Element,
MAGTF Fires, Logistics Combat Element, and MAGTF Operations.

8663, MAGTF Operations Ashore Practical Exercise

This course provides an opportunity to reinforce the skills and educational objectives learned during prior instruction, and to exercise military judgment and decision-making through a series of practical exercises. Each week, the faculty will assign staff billets to students as part of a tactical exercise team that, given a tactical scenario, will use the Marine Corps planning process in a collaborative planning effort to analyze a tactical mission; develop, wargame, and compare courses of action; and then prepare and brief selected portions of an operation order for selected elements of the MAGTF. The faculty will serve as the tactical unit's commanding officer to answer requests for information, provide amplifying planning guidance, and make key decisions throughout the planning process.

8664, Amphibious Operations

This course addresses the Marine Corps' role as an expeditionary force, specifically as part of larger naval or joint operations. It consists of four sub-courses:
Amphibious Foundations, Marine Expeditionary Unit, Landing Plan, and
Maritime Prepositioning Force and Force Deployment Planning and Execution.

Eligibility

The following personnel are eligible to participlate (in order of priority):

Schedules

CDET's regional offices work with each student to determine a schedule that best fits their educational goals and the constraints of their personal time. At the end of a program's enrollment period, the regional office for each region creates a set of seminar schedules to accomodate the students as much as possible while meeting the requirements of the seminar. This ensures that each seminar has an appropriate class size and a variety of MOSs to encourage discussion and interaction.

Enrollment

To enroll in a weekday, weekend, or online seminar, submit a request using MarineNet(more info). Once logged in, use the search field at the top of the page to find the curriculum: search for 8661. Click the magnifying glass icon next to the curriculum to view its details, then make sure your information is correct and click "Start" at the bottom to submit your enrollment request. The status of your request will be displayed under the notifications tab on the MarineNet portal page.

Blended Seminar Program

The blended seminar program provides students with an opportunity to receive their professional military education (PME) through a combination of resident and non-resident (online) education at or near their home station. These BSPs enable students to gain a greater depth of educational experience, while minimizing family turbulence by allowing them to remain on station and with their commands.

In addition to the standard curriculums, students participate in extracurricular field studies program events to include staff rides and visits to surrounding national historic sites which are representative of our culture, national heritage, and government institutions.

The blended seminar program allows applicable military personnel to complete career level school (CLS) requirements within a single academic year—as opposed to two academic years for the traditional on-site or online seminars. The initial resident period lasts for 4 weeks. The non-resident, online period lasts for 12 weeks. Students then return for their final resident period of 6 weeks and participate in an official graduation ceremony. The resident periods are held at Quantico, VA; Camp Lejeune, NC; Camp Pendleton, CA; Kaneohe Bay, HI; and Okinawa, Japan.

Apply for a funded seat in a blended seminar program by submitting an
enrollment form(72 KB) to the appropriate
IMSO. Enrollment forms are screened to ensure the student meets the enrollment eligibility criteria set forth by
MCO 1553.4B, Professional Military Education (PME), and by PME policies of the Marine Corps University and
CDET.

Resources

Reserve Retirement Credits

Effective 1 October 2015, reserve officers completing distance learning military courses will earn one reserve retirement credit for every four hours of study. Credits are granted upon completion of a course.

Information about the Expeditionary Warfare School resident program is available on the Marine Corps University website.

Transcripts can be obtained via MarineNet on the My Certificates page. You can print an unofficial copy, or you can request that an official transcript be sent to an educational institution, employer, or command.